It has been reported that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lobbied for the extension of U. S. unemployment benefits on Wednesday, distributing quotes from economists to lend the bill support.

The extension would provide "a proven boost to the economy and a much-need(ed) lifeline for Americans looking for work in a tough economy," said a statement from Pelosi's office.

"Increasing aid to the unemployed would have the largest effects on output and employment per dollar of budgetary cost in 2010 and 2011," said a Congressional Budget Office report, quoted by the office.

"No form of fiscal stimulus has proved more effective during the past two years than emergency UI benefits, providing a bank for the buck of $1.61 -- that is, for every $1 in UI benefits, gross domestic product is increased by an estimated $1.61," reads a quote from Moody's Analytics Chief Economists Mark Zandi.

"If you put the country into a deeper recession, tax revenues will fall and you'll have an even deeper debt," warned William Black, an economics professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, recently.

It has further been reported that Pelosi's office took a swipe at congressional Republicans for supporting "Wall Street banks, credit card companies, Big Oil, and insurance companies, the special interests that benefited from George Bush's policies and created the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression." (With Inputs from Agencies)